Music Collaborations

Swedish rock band Refused wasn’t just ruminating about the lasting impact of popular culture when it began its 1998 album “The Shape Of Punk To Come” with a lyric about classics never going out of style — it was also taking stock of its own turbulent existence, which met an ignominious end later that year in front of 50 kids at a basement show in a Virginia college town. Indeed, Refused came and went before the true power of its music could be understood, even by its own members. And in the ensuing years, the band cast a giant shadow over the world of underground rock, with the boundary-exploding “Shape” rising to all-time legendary status as it influenced a new generation of musical revolutionaries.Dark Matter Coffee is one of the premier artisan roasters in the United States. Adhering to a philosophy where quality coffees are sourced, based on trace-ability, innovation and social responsibility. This sourcing transparency yields fair business practices, reduced costs and unparalleled quality control, a difference that can be tasted in every cup.

The new Refused album, Freedom, contains the song “366” which existed in primordial form before the reunion, with the final version produced and co-written by fellow Swede and longtime Refused fan Shellback, who has scored eight No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with artists such as Taylor Swift and Pink.

In the early hours of October the 3rd 2013 near the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, an overcrowded fishing boat capsized, drowning 366 refugees, mostly Eritrean, fleeing one of the most terrifying military dictatorships on earth. The Mediterranean crossing was the last leg of a long and dangerous journey in search of bread and dignity in Europe. A journey that ended upon a heartless sea, where dreams come to die. "Dragged down by the weight of freedom, Dragged down by the loss of hope"

The events of tragedy are the inspiration behind the song and now the collaboration blend between Refused and Dark Matter Coffee. For the coffee blend, the band chose a Catuai from the Finca San Jeronimo, an off the grid farm located on Atitlan Volcano in Guatemala .This single variety of coffee was roasted as two different profiles to create a unique blend. Much like Refused and Dark Matter Coffee, this farm represents unwavering social values and progressive ideology in an industry defined by stagnancy.Refused is donating their proceeds from the sale of this coffee to MOAS (the Migrant Offshore Aid Station). MOAS is dedicated to preventing loss of life at sea by providing assistance to migrants who find themselves in distress while crossing the Mediterranean Sea in unsafe vessels.DONATE to MOAS